This invention relates generally to a high power reciprocal waveguide phase shifter and more particularly to such a waveguide phase shifter that is also co-planar.
A substantial amount of information has become available in the recent past regarding various methods and means for the phase shifting of microwave energy. One particular design of phase shifter utilizes a strip transmission line on one side of a dielectric substrate with a ground plane conductor on the opposite surface of the substrate. Modifications of this design have provided a coplanar device wherein the transmission line has a ground conductor in a parallel spaced-apart relationship in the same plane. In this design both lines are in the same plane, usually positioned on a ferrite material.
Further, in this type structure, generally the applied magnetization field is coplanar with the transmission line. There results then, a poor distribution of the applied magnetizing field about the microwave transmission line or strip, and in neither state are the fields of applied magnetization exactly parallel or perpendicular to the direction of propagation of microwave energy.
From this evolved many different devices using various shapes and layers of materials in an attempt to make the device reciprocal and latching. These changes and modifications have resulted in the availability of a number of low power, complex and expensive phase shifters.